Just Couldn't Stop Caring
by BreezeBlownBy
Summary: There's a hurricane brewing in Port Charles and it's not just the weather.
1. Stranded and Surprised

A/N: Ok so me and my love Jess (middiegurl)are writtting this together. This is our first attempt at a cowrite and we are sharing the wealth it's kinda fun. So it's inspired by the current gong ons in Port Charles. But as we all know the writers never get it right so before they screw it up were gonna fix it. Same Same Carly and Lorenzo and Jax and Court are married and the other two couples are you knwo whatever so let us know what you think feedback is much appreciated.

* * *

"Ok Carly you can not go over there" Courtney scolded as she tried to block her friends path.

"And why the hell not Courtney? Sonny is trying to take my sons to the island with him and his tramp it's not going to happen." Carly yelled as she tried unsuccessfully to push past her.

"Would you just think about it for a second Bobbie has Michael...Sonny and Reese are probably at the penthouse together..."

"Yea and Sonny has Morgan alone with that two timing lying little slut." She said as she finally pushed Courtney out of the way and stormed out the door.

"Carly ... Carly ..."Courtney yelled as she followed her best friend out of the loft.

* * *

"Sam could you and Reese go ahead to The Cellar and we'll meet you there I need to talk to Sonny." he asked needing a moment to try to at least persuade his friend to look objectively at the situation.

"Yea sure Jase." Sam said as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and left with Reese in tow.

He waited until he was sure that the girls had both gotten on the elevator and were out of ear shot before he began. "What the hell are you doing...Taking Reese to Carly's club you want to start a fight."

"What about you Carly can't stand Sam." Sonny shot back as he picked up Morgan and attempted to put his shoes on him.

"Sam's not with her ex husband" Jason stated bluntly.

"Jason I'm not going to back off a night with Reese because Carly's not going to like it she's married to... to that scum I am nothing to her anymore." Sonny reminded him.

* * *

"Jax...no im fine...yea ill meet you at the cellar in like 20 minutes...alright love you to...bye." As Courtney finished her phone call she turned to her best friend who was now glaring at her. "What" she asked annoyed with the disgusted look Carly was giving her.

"I can't believe you marry that worm." she sneered as they stepped off the elevator.

Unfortunately for them they had no idea what was in store for the days ahead.

* * *

Two hours. That's how long the four of them had been stuckat PH4 in Harborview Towers. The hurricane bringing them together. If anyone saw them now they would never have thought that the four of them had been inseperable a little over a year ago. But look at them now. Carly wasn't talking to them because of the relationships they were in now and they felt the same way about her new husband. Sonny had disowned Courtney. The only two actually speaking were Jason and Courtney and they didn't have much to talk about. So they sat in silence. With the occasional cough from Sonny and sigh from Jason. Carly was pacing the floor and Courtney was staring out the window, watching the rain. Wishing rhe time would pass faster.

"So Jason, where exactly is Sam tonight?" Carly asked trying to break the ice and hide the sarcasm in her voice. But it didn't work and Jason just glared at her and ignored the question.

"Can we just drop this topic of conversation before it gets ugly and we try to kill each other?" Sonny asked already getting a headache.

"Why? Are you jealous because no one mentioned your lying lover?" Carly asked not even trying to hide her sarcasm this time.

"Just shut up Carly!" Jason yelled. He had already heard enough. "Of all things to talk about, why choose the subject that will start a fight?" The thought of separating was growing on all of their minds. But Sonny and Courtney couldn't be left alone, or Carly and Sonny, and the same could be said for Carly and Jason. Of course, Jason could leave anytime. He lived across the hall. But he didn't want to put Courtney through that torture. So much had changed. It was amazing how much time changed things.

* * *

Now of them really knew how the four of them ended up together, in this place. Yeah, Sam and Reese were supposed to meet Sonny and Jason here but why were Jax and Lorenzo here? None of that really mattered now. The hurricane was growing in intensity and the four of them were stuck there now. This night was already not turning out too well.

She walked around the room not really knowing why they had agreed to come here. This was Carly's club and she hated both her and Sam. If she found out that the two of them were there, she wouldn't be too happy.

* * *

"Why of all people and all places did the four of us have to get stuck together here?" Courtney asked Jason. He just looked at her answering her question without words. Still, no matter what was going on around him, being with Courtney always made him happy.

"Well, I don't know about all of you but I am hungry. I think we still have some food in here." Carly said walking toward the kitchen.

"Where do you think you are going?" Sonny asked following her. "You know you aren't allowed in the kitchen." He stormed after her leaving Jason and Courtney in the living room, smiling. For a second, they seemed like a family again. Like old times.

"Nothing like a hurricane to bring the Corinthos/ Morgan family together again." Jason said smiling. It had been a long time since he had smiled and been this happy.

* * *

"Get out of my kitchen!" Sonny yelled. "You are not using my good pans-- no!" He was practically pushing Carly out of the room.

"Sonny--" Carly protested. "I'm hungry!"

"Sit. Don't step another foot into my kitchen. sit still and I will fix something." Sonny said walking back into the kitchen, leaving Carly sitting on the couch pouting. Some things never change.

* * *

"Hey guys, look what I found." Reese said walking from the back room carrying a box of stuff from Carly and Courtney's office

"Should we really be looking at this stuff? I mean, it isn't ours..." Jax said not wanting to know what was in the box.

"Yeah, I agree with Jax. This isn't our stuff to be looking through… "Lorenzo added. "Besides, I don't think any of us want to see what is in here." Lorenzo said thinking he already knew what was in this box and not really wanting to see any of it. And once everyone else knew what was in there, they would have wished they hadn't looked in it.

Pictures. Letters. Books. And there it was. Courtney's journal. He saw it and he wasn't sure if that's what it was but he didn't want to read it. Scared of what it might say. Reese continued looking through the box, paying no attention to the journal. Jax grabbed the book and walked to a booth. Prepared to read his lovers past. The other three dispersing to their separate corners to deal with their own emotions over what was in the box.


	2. There's Not Much Left

There was nothing like having a gourmet meal while being stranded in a hurricane. The four of them were sitting in separate corners of the room. They hadn't spent this much time in the same room in months. But things had changed and they had grown apart. So much had happened and somehow they went from being inseparable to unable to stand being in the same room with each other. Sure most of that was partly due to the fact that none of them trusted or even liked their new significant others.

Their silence was interrupted by Carly's laughing. She ignored the strange look the three were giving her.

"Uh, Carly... are you okay?" Courtney asked. Although, Carly's sanity could be argued at times. But that wasn't an argument they were going to have. Especially not now when they were all stuck with her.

"I was just remembering the time when Sonny almost burnt the house down trying to make this same dinner..." She said laying on the couch still dying from laughter. The memory hit Jason and Courtney and they joined Carly in her laughter.

"I didn't almost burn the house down," Sonny stated. "The fire was always under control. We never had anything to worry about." he said, pleading his case.

"We didn't have anything to worry about until you got a hold of the fire extinguisher." Courtney added, wiping away her tears.

"You have to admit they are telling the truth man." Jason said still laughing and walking over to Sonny and patting him on the back.

"You know not many people are allowed to pick on the big bad Sonny Corinthos." Carly stated.

"Only you." Sonny replied with his dimpled grin. She was right. Not many people were given the chance to see the other side of Jason Morgan or Sonny Corinthos. Let alone both. But she and Courtney had captivated there hearts they were the only two women who had been able to worm there way into the hearts of the two most feared men in Port Charles. And truth be told they were still the owners of those two very guarded hearts.

Jason looked around the room and saw the grins on everyone's faces. It had been quite awhile since they had shared a moment like this together. He couldn't remember the last time he and sonny had been in the same room without talking about business or arguing. It was nice to have a change of pace. Then he looked at his best friend. Carly had been there for as long as they both could remember thy had been through so much. Now though the unthinkable was happening they were drifting apart slowly but surely. Then there was Courtney who he would still do anything for but couldn't. Their love wasn't strong enough to hold them together through their lost and no matter how much they didn't want to admit it that baby was the one thing that tore them apart. It was the only one they were ever gonna have and now that little girl was gone.

* * *

While the four at the penthouse were laughing and sharing memories, the four at The Cellar were in silence. Barley making a sound dealing with their emotions over what they found in the box. The pictures. The letters. They all seemed so in love. They saw the closeness that was shared between them. And no matter how much they wanted to be apart of their club, they weren't accepting anymore members. No matter how much any of them wanted to believe it, it hadn't changed. Sam knew that Jason still carried his wedding ring with him all the time. Lorenzo and Reese saw the far off looks that Carl and Sonny got at night when they tucked Michael or Morgan into bed. The look of what once was. What could have been. And Jax knew that some nights Courtney took out her and Jason's wedding picture, and sat looking at it for hours. Little things that tore each of their hearts to pieces. Little things that still showed their connection to each other.

Sam was sitting on the steps with the image of their wedding picture seared to her brain. He seemed so happy. He looked at her with so much love and he had the biggest smile on his face. You could tell that they were in love with each other and that day was the best day of their lives. Why didn't he ever look at her that way? He had never looked at her with that sparkle in his eyes. He had never smiled that big with her. What was it that his blue eyed blonde ex had that she didn't?

Jax sat in the booth staring at the journal sitting in front of him. Did he read it and violate her privacy or let it torture him sitting on the table? He didn't care if what he read hurt him, he couldn't stop himself. When he opened the journal he hadn't expected to read half of the truth that he got...even from just one page.

_Dear Diary,_

_It shouldn't have happened. All I know is that one second I was worried sick about him and the next we were standing in the rain outside of Jake's. We were inches away from each other and before I knew what was happening our lips met. I knew it was wrong. I am married to AJ but my feelings for Jason... I don't really know what my feelings for Jason are at the moment. I am so torn. I should have these feelings for my husband and my husband only. Not another man. Especially not his brother. But what if it's true? What if my own husband had stalked me for months just so he could be the one to safe me. He wouldn't...would he? Jason would never do something like that to me. I think that's why I let the kiss happen, because even for those few moments being in his arms his lip on mine, it felt like heaven it felt right, I can't deny that..._

Jax stopped. He knew about her past but to read her thoughts and her feelings. Her and Jason's relationship had begun the way it should have. With her falling in love with him the way it was meant to be. Not with some plan to get back at her brother a.k.a. the bet. But hey they were in love now weren't they?

_Dear Diary, _

_Today was the day. The day that all of my dreams were supposed to come true. I was supposed to marry Jason. But none of that happened. I didn't get to walk down the isle to Jason with my dad at my side. Carly was kidnapped and now Michael is in the hospital unable to speak. How did it happen? How did the best day of my life turn into the worst. My best friend is kidnapped and my heart is broken. Maybe this is a sign. Maybe Jason and I should never get married..._

He stopped again. He could only handle so much at a time. It was killing him to read the words that his wife wrote about another man. But he couldn't help but think that she didn't feel this way about him.

_Dear Diary,_

_It's over. I know I have said that before but this time it's real. He signed the divorce papers . And tonight we said goodbye. We kissed and said the words. I listened as he opened up and told me how hurt he was. I knew what was coming but that didn't change how I felt the moment he said the words. The ironic thing, we kissed in the rain. We began in the rain and now I guess we ended in the rain... No matter what my future holds no man will ever hold my heart like Jason. He was my once in a lifetime. The love of my life. You just don't get the kind of love we had. You get one chance at love and it's up to you how you make it or break it. But for as long as I live he will always be my life and I will always love him..._

That was the last entry. The words kept ringing through his mind. "No man will ever hold my heart..." "My life and I will always love him..." What did this mean for them? Did his wife even love him? Or was what they had, if anything, just something to fill her time.

* * *

They had settled back into silence. But it wasn't an awkward silence. It was comfortable. All of them remembering their good times together. And all wanting to hold on to this moment. Not ready to lose each other again. They were each off in their own memories. Remembering people and places and things that once were. They family that had once occupied them all. The love that they had all shared. They happiness that they had found in each other. Then the grief and depression that they had suffered together, and thought they had handled together. Unfortunately they had masked their troubles and now were left with nothing but empty relationships and broken promises.

"I actually had fun tonight." Carly said what the rest of them had been too scared to. "It felt like-- I don't know-- like we were a family again." She continued, looking at everyone to remember this moment because it probably wouldn't happen again. She looked over at her son who had fallen asleep at one end of the couch. "I'm going to go put him in his old room" she said quietly as she picked Morgan up gently.

"Night Morgan" Courtney whispered to her sleeping nephew as she kissed his forehead and let Carly proceed up the stairs with the peaceful child.

It killed Jason to watch Courtney with Morgan. Every time he saw her face light up when her nephews were around the extra bounce in her step. It was evident that she would make a great mother. But unfortunately she would never have the chance because she was at the wrong place at the wrong time and he hadn't been there to save her. The burden of their miscarriage was to much to carry alone and impossible to share. She had lost her chance, they had lost their chance.

The three remaining adults were left in an uncomfortable silence. All three giving each other an occasional glance but then refocusing heir eyes somewhere else, anywhere else. It was sad it had come to this. Sitting in this room were siblings, best friends, lovers and yet they couldn't come up with one single word to say to each other. When Carly returned down the stairs and joined Courtney on the far side of the couch she took a good long look at what was the closest family at one point. "What happened to us?" she asked as she looked around at the three people who had become her whole life.

Leave it to Carly to break the ice and say what everyone else was afraid to. "Nothing happened to us...We all just changed and we couldn't deal with the changes in our lives and instead of dealing with them we pushed each other away." Courtney said truthfully.

Not wanting to get into any serious conversation where he might just have to admit that he was wrong and/or sorry for some of the things that had torn their little family apart he decided to end the conversation before it had the chance to escalade. "Well there isn't much we can do tonight so I am going to go on to bed..." Sonny said suggestively hoping they all would take the hint and shack up somewhere.

Carly nodded. It had been a long day for everyone. "Sonny I'm gonna stay in the guest room" she informed as she got up. "You guys staying here or..."she asked her voice tinged with suggestions of where they should stay.

"Goodnight Carly" they said in unison throwing her a warning look.

"Well I'll see you in the morning then." she smiled knowing that Jason wouldn't leave Courtney here with her and Sonny alone. She gave Courtney a wink before turning and almost dancing up the stairs.

" Well..." Jason said into the silence. "I think I will head on over." he said walking to the door. "You know, I have an extra room if you want to sleep in a bed and not on a couch." he offered.

"Okay..." she smiled and got up to follow him.

"Good night Carly" he shouted as he heard her giggle. "Only Carly" he sighed as Courtney laughed and followed him to his home."So--uhh-- you can take my bed, or there is the guest room." Jason offered awkwardly.

"The guest rom is fine..." She stated. The thought of sleeping in _his_ bed just didn't feel right. She took a moment to look around it seemed as though Sam hadn't changed anything. Everything from the pool table to the couch to the desk it all seemed to be in place. Even the stain on the left corner of the carpet. She remember that night.

_"Hey babe" she said as she waltzed down the stairs._

_He turned to see his beautiful blonde angel almost dancing down the stairs with a bottle of wine and a box of chocolate. "Hey what's the occasion?" he asked playfully as she gave him a peck on the lips and continued to the couch._

_She smiled as she popped in a movie. "You and I are going to have date." she stated in a firm serious tone of voice._

_"Now?" he asked slightly confused._

_"No next year" she joked as she walked into the kitchen._

_He sighed the thought of a date didn't sound to appealing but the though of what could come after or during that date did. He smiled as he took off his jacket and threw his keys on the desk. _

_"Good" she ;laughed as she brought his beer and sat down on the couch. "No interruptions."_

_"So what's the movie you put in?" he asked cautiously as he sat down and pulled her into his lap. _

_"It's this awesome film it's called The Breakfast Club." she said excitedly as the credits started to play._

_Deciding to make the best of his undisturbed time with his wife he settled in for what he was sure would be the only annoying part of this "date". Making the best of what he thought was a bad situation he gently stated to kiss her neck._

_"Jase" she whined as she turned her body slightly to look at him. "JASE" she squealed as he knocked her wine glass out of her hand and all over the carpet. She laughed "You're cleaning that up" she said._

_"I'll just buy you a new rug." he said quickly as he kissed her and their movie was long forgotten._

She started walking up the stairs already knowing where to go. She stopped briefly at his bedroom door and when she realized he wasn't behind her, she walked inside. Nothing had changed. Everything was the way she had decorated it. It made her smile thinking that a place that was so intimate was still the way she left it.

Deciding it was time to leave, she walked out. But not before sneaking a glance at the dressed. It was gone. Their wedding picture was gone. Leaving the room with a little piece of her heart broken even more, she crossed the hall and climbed into bed. That night was the first night she had cried herself to sleep since the divorce.


	3. The Haunted Past

Courtney woke the next morning still feeling the tear tracks on her cheeks from the night before. She wasn't sure why she reacted the way she did. They had been divorced for over a year now and they had both moved on. Did she really expect him to still have their wedding picture on his dresser in the room he now shared with another woman? She felt a hole in the pit of her stomach just thinking about Jason sharing their bed with another woman.

He hadn't slept well the night before, tossing and turning all night. Of course, he hadn't had a peaceful nights sleep since the night that Courtney left him, and knowing she was sleeping in the room across the hall and not in his bed, was wrong. She should have been with him. And she would have been if he had been so pigheaded and let her walk out of his life. But now he was standing at the window downstairs, staring at nothing in particular. He knew he would be coming downstairs any minute. She definitely wasn't morning person but she never could sleep late. She always hated that. He smiled to himself, remembering one morning the shared together just a few days after they returned from France.

"Why can't I ever sleep late?" She asked herself walking down the stairs not noticing Jason was on the couch. "Maybe it's because Jason isn't in bed with me anymore." She contemplated still not noticing him. "No… Sonny has to call him away at all hours and so damn early in the morning! We just get married and he is already taking over being Sonny's slave." She sighed. Some things will never change.

"You know you might want to watch what you say. Someone might hear you…" He smiled when she jumped from the sound of his voice.

"Oh my…" Her hand went to her chest to cover her now pounding heart. "You scared the crap out of me!" She hit him playfully on the chest. "Not that I'm complaining, but what are you doing home?"

"Sonny actually gave me the day off." He wrapped his arms around her waist while she poured herself a cup of coffee and added cream and sugar. "He said something about how we had just returned from our honeymoon and he didn't want me slaving after him." He said repeating what she had said moments before.

"You heard all that?" She asked shyly.

"It was kind of hard not to." He kissed her neck.

"Mr. Morgan, what are you doing?" She asked playfully. Not minding what he had in mind.

"Well, Mrs. Morgan, I was just going to spend a little time with my new wife. But if she has complaints I can just go to work I guess…" He turned to walk away and she grabbed his arm.

"Take another step and you will be without an arm." He turned around and kissed her. He took the cup of coffee out of her hand and picked her up, carrying her back to bed.

"Good morning…" She said bringing him out of his memory. He turned to see her standing at the foot of the stairs in the same clothes she had on the night before and her hair in a messy ponytail. he hadn't realized how much he missed seeing this every morning until now.

"There-uh- is coffee in the kitchen. Creamer is in the fridge, sugar in the cabinet." He stated.

"Thanks." She said awkwardly. She was surprised that he still remembered how she drank her coffee.

She walked back out of the kitchen a few minutes later to find Jason no where in site, but Carly sitting on the couch with a huge smile on her face.

"So how did you sleep last night?" Carly asked suggestively. Courtney rolled her eyes and took a seat next to her on the couch.

"I slept fine… in the guestroom." She took a drink of her coffee. "Where did Jason go?"

"Across the hall. He said something about having to talk to Sonny." Carly said rolling her eyes. "When don't the two of them have to talk to each other?" She paused. "I wouldn't doubt that they had their own little 'fling' on the side…"

"Carly!" Courtney yelled surprised trying not to laugh.

"What?" She asked playfully. "Wouldn't you if you only had Sam and Reese?"

Courtney rolled her eyes. "Come on. Let's go across the hall and see if we can leave yet." They walked across the hall both still laughing and giggling at Carly's comment. They both hated to admit it but they both considered it at one point or another. "Sam and Reese are at The Cellar." They heard Jason say as they opened the door to PH4.

"Did you just say that your little hoes are at MY club?"

* * *

Reese scoffed as she read the letter once again. She should have listened to Lorenzo all along and but the box back where she found it. But did she listen? No. And now look at her. She was sulking over a letter that her boyfriend wrote to his ex wife and as much as she didn't want to admit it, her heart was breaking.

_Dear Carly,_

_How you and the baby holding up? I'm going to get you back here soon...and then I am going to kill the son of a bitch for ever laying his filthy hands on you. Michael misses you_. _He keeps asking when you're gonna come home. He's eager to meet the baby. I love you and I promise you once you and the baby are home safe I am going to make love to you a billion times. I am going to take you and Michael and the baby to the island and we're going to be a family the four of us. You and Courtney still have a wedding to plan when you get back. Courtney misses you. The other day I caught her restocking your frozen pizza collection. I love you so much and I'm coming for you._

_Love Sonny_

Alcazar sat on the bar just twirling Carly's wedding rings in his fingers. These were the rings that Sonny had placed on her finger three times while making vows before god to love her forever. "Three times and he still couldn't keep his vows," He whispered to himself staring at the rings again. But he knew the vows weren't what really mattered. It was their feelings that mattered. Why didn't he listen to his own advice? He told everyone that they would regret looking in that box and he did the same thing they did. He wanted to believe that these rings meant nothing to Carly… if only that were the truth.

He couldn't take it anymore reading her diary had not only been proven to be the wrong thing to do he now had realized that although he loved her she didn't return his love on any level close to his. As he started to close the Diary one page caught his eye. Opening it back up he read a page that he had somehow missed.

_Dear Diary,_

_I always thought that the day that Jason and I found out we were going to be pregnant would be the happiest day of our lives...I guess I was wrong._ _I didn't even get to tell him that he was to be a father. And now...well now ill never be able to tell him that. I hate that we lost our baby, OUR baby not mine and yet I was the only one who knew of her. I dreamed of her, I dreamed of our little girl she was beautiful. She had Jason's eyes and my smile. Oh god she was just beautiful. But now because I made careless choices she's gone and I can't ever get her back. God I guess now I'm looking for someone to blame or someone to blame me. I feel responsible...I am responsible for the death of our child and the death of any other child we might have had in the future. I just keep thinking what if our baby girl was the one to discover the cure for cancer...and now that I killed her I killed everyone who would have benefited from her life in any way..._

He quickly closed the diary. He couldn't take anymore of her confessions. They were heartbreaking and enlightening at the same time. If someone had told him that his wife didn't love him, he wouldn't have believed it. But this little book told him in more ways than one.

Sam wiped at her tears as she looked at yet another picture. But this one was of Courtney and Jason under the mistletoe kissing. They fit together so well. Every picture she had seen had had the two looking so in love so relaxed and so comfortable in each others company. She had to stop and remind herself a few times that now she was the one who watched him sleep and she was the one who kissed him in the morning. But that was just it...it was she who kissed him and said I love you and displayed affection towards him. Sure every now and then he would make the first move but usually if she didn't ask for it she didn't get it.

"You ok?' Jax asked as he sat next to her on the steps.

"Yeah I was just looking at some of their old photos" she explained as she showed him the picture she was holding. "Why do you think Carly and Courtney kept all this stuff?" she asked

"Probably don't even realize they still have it." Alcazar chimed in as he pulled a chair in front of the stairs and sat facing her and Jax. At least that's what they all wanted to believe.

"Yea I wouldn't sweat it… Carly and Courtney never come over here anyways. This stuff is probably just shoebox memorabilia of something they don't want to remember but at the same time can't completely let go of...it was their life once so long ago." Reese explained thinking of her own shoe box memorabilia that she to wanted to forget but couldn't.

They all sat in their little circle they had formed and just thought... thought about what they now had and what they knew their significant others all wanted.But none were willing to admit that they were living in a dream land and that no matter how much they worked, what they had just wasn't going to last.


	4. Oh Hell No

A/N: I know it's long over do and we thank you who are still reading. It's been alittle hectice with the begining of school adn adjusting to that and our different schedules and such. I know no excuse but I personally promise that the next update won't take 3 months!

Chapter 4

"Answer me!" Carly demanded when Jason and Sonny remained silent. "Are Reese and Sam at my club!" Carly's voice rose the angrier she grew.

"Yes Reese and Sam are at the club." Jason finally admitted.

"What the hell are they doing there?" She bellowed. There was nothing like finding out the two people you loathe most in the word were at your place.

"Carly... Carly... Calm down." Courtney interjected. "I'm sure they have a good reason for being at the club." Courtney reasoned. "Maybe they were just taking shelter from the hurricane." She said hopefully for both of their sakes. If they were there for any other reason... well, it wouldn't be too pretty.

"Is that true?" Carly looked from Sonny to Jason.

"Not exactly..." Sonny whispered. He was finally realizing that taking Sam and Reese to Carly's club wasn't such a great idea.

"OH HELL NO!" Carly yelled as she stormed out of the penthouse. She passed the elevator and headed straight for the stairs. She was not going to have those two tramps in her club. She was going to kick them out and it didn't matter that none of them were supposed to be out.

"Carly! Carly where are you going!" Courtney yelled after.

"Where is she going?" Jason asked and received a glare from Courtney. "It's not safe for her to be out there."

"What exactly were the two of you thinking? I mean, you both know how much Carly hated Reese and Sam. What would ever possess you to take them there!" She was angry at the two of them for what they had done but probably more hurt with the fact that they were really moving on and they weren't that tight nit family any longer.

They all shared glances and as if thinking the same thing, they all headed toward the door. Knowing they had to catch Carly before she tore a few heads off.

-----

The four at the club were all still sitting together at the bottom of the stairs. They each were lost in their own thoughts and all hoping that what Reese had said was the truth. They all hoped that none of this stuff still meant anything to them. But the truth was, that none of them really knew.

Their peaceful quiet was interrupted by someone bursting through the door and storming down the stairs. It was Carly. And following her were Courtney, Sonny, and Jason.

"Will you please tell me what the two of you were thinking coming to my club?" She yelled at Sam and Reese. "Correction... what the THREE of you were thinking." She said when she saw Jax there for the first time.

"Carly, what are you doing out in this? You know it's not safe." Lorenzo interrupted.

"Would you just give us a chance to explain?" Jason pleaded. Only Carly could cause this much unneeded and unwanted drama during a natural disaster.

"Fine."

They all walked in the other room following Carly and Courtney. Suddenly Courtney and Carly both stopped and took in a sharp breath. The four "others" shared a glance and new immediately what they saw.

"What? What's wrong?" Sonny asked.

"Oh God..." Courtney started walking toward the table that was holding the box followed by Carly. They both knew their deepest, darkest secrets had been hidden away in this very box and now they were open for the whole world to see.

"I think this belongs to you." Reese said handing Carly the letter. "And I think these belong to you as well..." Lorenzo stepped up and handed her her wedding rings. Lorenzo and Reese both seeing the shocked expression that crossed Sonny's realization at what Carly now held in her hands.

"Here..." Sam handed the picture to Courtney as she wiped away a tear.

"Thanks..." Courtney whispered embarrassed. She glanced at Carly who was wiping away a few stray tears that had also escaped her eyes. They returned their belongs to the box and they looked at each other. They never thought these things would be found. Especially by their lovers now.

They began to cover the box once again when Jax interrupted their movements. "You're missing something." He stated as he pulled the journal from behind his back. A sharp intake of breath could be heard from both Jason and Courtney as they realized just what Jax was holding. The memory flooded both of their minds.

_"You got here!" Courtney exclaimed as she ran into his arms. _

_"Yeah. Hmm. I'm okay." He said as he wrapped his arms around her. Content to just hold her close to him. It had been another long day of the trial and he was happy that he got to come home to her._

_"Oh, I just-- I can't help but get scared. I mean, court was terrible." _

_"What is it? What are you doing?" He asked her avoiding the talk about court. _

_"It's-- it's just my journal." She blushed. _

_"What are you writing?" He was curious. _

_"Nothing." She denied but he didn't believe her._

_"Can I see it?"_

_"No." She said quickly. She wasn't about to let him see everything that she had written. It held all of her deepest secrets. Things about her past, her feelings for him._

_"Why?" _

_"Beacause it's private." She argued. Part of her wished she was comfortable enough to just let him have it. He would finally know what her true feelings were and she wouldn't have to have this same inner battle with herself everyday._

_"Come on..." He begs. _

_"No!"_

_"Come on."_

_"No, no, no, no, no." She says again but he had already succeeded in getting it free from her hands and he was holding it above her head._

_"Give it back..."_

_"No, no, no." It was now his line instead of hers. _

_"Give it back." She asked again. She loved little moments like this when it was just te two of them. She was the only one who ever really got to see this side of him and she wasn't complaining. It was nice to have something that was shared just between the two of them._

_"You want to see this---" He smiles._

_"It's private!"_

_"You got to get it back from me." He says playfully and she follows him as he moves away from her. "Here you go. Here you go. Take it."_

_"Give it back!" He pulls her to him and wraps his arms around her again. "Give it back!" she says again._

_"All right. I would--"_

_"God." She interrupted jokingly. _

_"I would never read your secrets." He said truthfully._

_"Yeah, I know."_

-------------------------------------------------------

"Oh my god..." Courtney whispered taking the journal from Jax. "Did you read it?" She spoke barely above a whisper. She took his silence as the answer.

"And I suppose you read the letter too?" Carly asked Reese who only nodded. "How could you? How could all of you look through this stuff?" Carly asked fighting the tears of anger that were threatening to fall. "None of you had any right!"

"I think the real question is why the two of you kept these things to begin with." Lorenzo asked the question that had plagued all of their minds since they opened the box and saw it's contents.

"Yeah... I mean, we have all moved on have we not?" Jax added. Sonny and Jason looked on as everyone interrogate the two of them. Neither really knew what to do. They wanted to know the answer just as much as the rest of them.

"You don't have to answer these questions if you don't want to." Jason finally said.

"No it's okay..." Carly said looking at Courtney who only nodded. Everyone in the room deserved an explanation.

"We met up here one night after Sonny and Carly's divorce." Courtney began. "We were both changing and we were all growing apart and each of our relationships were over..." She paused. "But the four of you don't realize how important we all once were to each other." She looked up and locked eyes with each of the four of them. Ending with Sonny and Jason. "We were once all we each had. We were a family. For the longest time it had just been the four of us looking out for each other. The four of us against the world and nothing else mattered as long as we were together."

"So when everything fell apart, Courtney and I couldn't just move on. We had to do something. Something to help us move on and something to help put the past in the past." Carly explained. "So we met up here and put some of the most important pieces of our relationships in this box. I guess we forgot about it or maybe we just didn't think it would ever be found..."

"But you and Jason had been over for months by then. So why did you join Carly in her goodbyes?" Jax questioned.

"Does any of this really matter?" Sonny started but was interrupted by Courtney.

"Just because we were divorced didn't mean that I didn't still love him and that I wasn't still hurting." She stated and glanced quickly towards Jason. "We were family." She took a breath. "But we were all moving on and I couldn't find any other way to get rid of that pain. So I tried to say goodbye to past."

"But wasn't that what the kiss in the rain was for?"

"That's enough." Jason finally spoke up. He wasn't going to watch Jax belittle Courtney any longer. "Nothing about our relationship is your business." He said firmly.

"That's where you are wrong... You see, she is my wife." Jax said rubbing it in that he had what Jason still wanted.

To stop Jason from punching Jax, Sam finally spoke. "Let's talk about you Jason..."

"What are you talking about, Sam?" Carly asked annoyed.

"Jason knows what I'm talking about..." She stated.

"Why don't we just drop this?" Courtney offered.

"No.. I want to get all of this out in the open." Sam said. "Do you want them all to hear it from you or would you mind if I told them?"

"Why don't we all just forget about all of this?" Sonny said for the second time after being ignored the first time. "This is all the past."

"What about you Sonny? What are you hiding?" Sam turned to him. "What are you hiding?"

"That's a good question..." Lorenzo chimed in.

"now back to you Jason..." Sam turned back toward him but he wasn't there.

"He left..." Jax said as he watched Courtney run after him. Carly ran after the both of them and Sonny followed. Leaving the four of them alone once again.


	5. Destined To Be

A/N: Ok it's been forever we know butI think for the amount of time you've had to wait you will all applaud this chapter because there is alot said that neeeded to be said and alot of things you might find yourself screaming at the televison come out so...I hope you allenjoy the chapter and againIappoligize Jess andI are super procrastinators and we know how it feels to be on the recieving end so again we are sorry and read and enjoy!

Chapter 5

So there they stood, watching as the four of them ran out of the room, not giving a second thought about the impact that the past couple of hours had had on their relationships. Jason had run out of the room, not willing the face the truth and Courtney had followed. Carly ran after her two best friends, not being able to be in the room that was so full of deception, and Sonny had followed. It really was the four of them, forever and always and everyone finally understood.

--

"Jason, wait!" Courtney yelled running after him and out onto the roof. She wasn't planning on following him but something inside her snapped and she had to get out of that room, and when she saw Jason run she found her shot, and she had to explain. Explain, the real reason they had kept all of those possessions, those memories.

He heard her behind him but he couldn't stop. He was too afraid of what would happen if he said what he wanted to say. He had so many emotions raging through his veins. He loved Sam… but why had he gotten so angry, so jealous when Jax shoved it in his face that Courtney was his wife? Why did he feel the need to protect her? He could tell himself that it was just him caring for her, he always would, but he knew it was more than that, he knew he cared more for her than he was willing to admit.

There had been a time where she was his world, all that he cared about. Everything that he did, he did for her. For their love and their life together. What had happened to them? Where had they gone wrong? He wasn't sure… but he did know that when things finally came to an end, when he took his ring off and when he signed the divorce papers, his heart had never be the same. And that wouldn't changed. Even now when he was with Sam and he woke up next to her every morning, he wasn't complete. He still dreamed about her at night, he still remembered how she looked first thing in the morning, he still remembered how his skin felt beneath her touch and how his lips felt with her kiss. He was alive. And no one would or could ever make him feel that way again. 

"Please…don't. I can't handle this right now." He stated a little more harshly than he had intended.

"You can't handle this? What about me? I didn't expect your girlfriend to go searching through private things that belonged to me and Carly." She said defensively.

"No…" He was interrupted when Sonny and Carly ran through the same door that they had.

"No don't stop Jason go ahead… speak. Tell me once again how all of this is my fault!" She yelled. It was time to get their emotions out and let each other know how they really felt. What the hell right did he have to get angry at her? It was her and Carly's privacy that was invaded… not his.

"I'm not saying it's your fault…"

"No you're just thinking it right, bad Courtney brought up the past, mean old Courtney kept some things that might just give us some conflicting feelings, hell why don't we blame Courtney when it starts to rain!" Courtney suggested...CRACK. It was really perfect timing, when that sky fell out all was momentarily forgotten.

They all had to laugh at the irony of it all! And that they did, they stood and laughed just like old times, with the rain pounding on their heads, soaking their clothes.

"You guys remember when we were at The Cellar that one night right after you two got engaged?" Carly said, motioning to Jason and Courtney.

"Oh God… remember Jason fell and got mud all down his pants and then Sonny fell while trying to help him up!" Courtney laughed.

"Well if you two weren't laughing we could have used some assistance!" Sonny said trying to be bitter at the memory of being wet and muddy and feeling disgusting.

"Hmm… no. I remember the dresses we were wearing they were classic Jean Paul collection. I think not!" Carly said matter-of-factly.

They all laughed just the thought that Carly would remember what their dresses were was just too funny! "Only you Carly!" Jason laughed.

"We've had some great times..."Sonny said thoughtfully.

"Yea...we were the best!" Carly agreed.

"What happened to us?" Courtney asked as she folded her arms the cold of the rain starting to get to her a bit but mostly it was numbing her...it was numbing them all.

"Does any of this even matter? It's not like we can go back..."Jason said hurtfully as he turned around and stared out at the skyline.

"Yes it matters!" Courtney said adamantly. "You and Sonny will always be brothers married to me or not, you and Carly will still be best friends, like it or not, and Sam or no Sam you will always love me somewhere deep inside that heart of yours, whether you want to admit it or not and you need to accept that!" She paused for a moment, letting her words sink in. Words that she hadn't meant to speak out loud. "Jason we used to love the rain… We shared some great times." She smiled as the memories flooded her thoughts. "Now look at us. We pass each other on the street and we are like strangers. We never talk…"

"We moved on Courtney!" He turned to face her. He watched as the pain flashed through her eyes. He hadn't meant to hurt her. "I still love you, okay? Is that what you want to hear? I always have and I always will...It kills me to see you with Jax, and I will always protect you whether you like it or not but I love Sam now and I've moved on and maybe you and Carly should do the same!" Jason said, hoping that the rain would hide the pain in his face as he spoke.

Carly watched the exchange of her two best friends, standing in front of her with her own tears falling from her eyes. Those words hurt… they hurt a lot. And hell would be damned if she was going to let him get away with it. "Excuse me Jason Morgan! Let me tell you something! I was in your life way before little Ms. Samantha and I will still be in your life long afterwards so don't you ever tell me to move on! And obviously you haven't moved on because you wouldn't have stood up to Jax. You wouldn't have stopped him from degrading Courtney like that and you wouldn't have left Sam in there when she was trying to play Dr. Phil!" Anger seeped through her words.

Sonny, up until this point, had stood quietly but now felt he needed to step in. "Alright Carly just stop, let's not get into damaged goods it's only going to cause pain!"

"Damaged goods?" Courtney questioned. "Is that what our relationships with each other were to you? 'Damaged goods?'" Wow. How shallow could Sonny get?

"That's not what I meant!" Sonny said angrily annoyed that his sister had accused him of not caring for her, Jason or Carly.

"Well I don't know Sonny… you threw Courtney away like it was nothing, when she was merely trying to save you AND Jason from a life in prison away from your lives and the boys!" Carly pointed out referring to the Alcazar incident that had caused Courtney to be "banished" from the family.

"She called the COPS!" Jason yelled angrily the wound now officially reopened.

"Oh and God forbid I actually try to save my brother and my husband!" Courtney chimed in.

"How many times did I tell you not to get involved...and you never listened! It wasn't your place! It was a selfish thing to do!" Jason yelled.

"Selfish?" Carly interrupted. "That was the most unselfish thing she could have done! She saved you two from a life in prison, and she didn't do it for her or for me she did it for those boys!"

"ENOUGH!" Courtney screamed! "I called the police that night because I didn't want to see the man I love and my brother spend the rest of their lives in jail over some piece of trash! He had already killed our baby Jason, OUR BABY! Do you think I wanted him to ruin my husband and my brother and our lives together?"

"You had no right to call the police." Sonny said quietly trying to keep his emotions in check.

"I had no right?" Courtney said nodding her head "That's right… I had no right to protect my brother and my husband. No right at all and you know you had no right to take the boys from their mother in that stupid custody hearing, and you had no right to try and keep Jason and me apart in the beginning especially by firing him. And you know what else you don't have and haven't had the right to do...expect nothing but honesty and loyalty from everyone around you and then turn around and lie and cheat and do all the things that would make someone unacceptable to you!" She finished taking a deep breath. Oh how long she had wanted to say that!

"Amen Sister!" Carly said amazed that in about a minute she had just let Sonny have it for all the Hell he had put her through in the past two years! "And I have something to add to that! I think you should both take a step back and look at how much Courtney has done for us all, first she got AJ to confess to setting up the witness for Alcazar's murder trial. Then, she helped me deal with the rape when I couldn't tell you two, and then she saved me and YOUR baby!" Carly emphasized the your as she point to Sonny. "Not to mention she took care of Michael when I was being held against my will by your brother, that might I add you have shockingly decided to give another chance! The man who was going to kidnap your baby and KILL ME!" She rolled her eyes. "But your sister you still haven't forgiven. I mean for god sakes Sonny, honestly! She took care of your kids when we couldn't! She is Morgan's god mother she and Jason were Michael's sanctuary during the custody battle! How can you forgive a man who purposefully hurt you when you can't forgive a woman who did everything in her power to protect you?"

Silence.

"That's what I thought!" Carly stated knowingly. "You two are such hypocrites, without a second thought you threw Court out like yesterday's trash but now that you get the full picture that's exactly what you see...the mistakes you made! Sonny, can you honestly say that Courtney means nothing to you? Can you honestly say that she hasn't been there to help you, despite her reservations about the business?" She asked Sonny, who refused to make eye contact. "And Jason, can you honestly say that you are the happiest you have ever been with Sam? That she gives you everything that you have ever wanted?" He too, refused to make eye contact.

"You're not perfect Carly and neither is Courtney! Neither Sonny nor I ever claimed to be!" Jason said he was still reeling from everything the two had just unleashed. They certainly hadn't held anything back! "You both knew that from the start!"

"But that's the point Jason!" Courtney said desperately wanting them to listen. "We all make mistakes and we have to live with them! Not shut each other out because that's just easier. You can't just forget everything that we all went through together. We can't forget that we are family."

"And that's just it… we are family. We are supposed to forgive each other, look past the mistakes and imperfections." Carly stated. "I know that we are all in different places in our lives right now and we have 'moved on,' whatever that means. But I miss all of you. I miss the connection we had; I miss the love we shared." She paused and looked out at the sun rising from behind the clouds. "Now the question is, can we still be who we are today and be the family that we were always supposed to be?"

* * *


End file.
